Email

I AM as sad over the heinous and cold-blooded murder of Shahzeb Khan as I feel sad over the killings of so many people every day in this country, especially in Karachi. I pray and hope that justice is done and the killers of young Shahzeb are brought to book to set an example.

However, at the same time, seeing the activism shown by the media, civil society and the judiciary, I also feel that perhaps Shahzeb was lucky in many respects.

He was the only son of a DSP, who lived in one of the most expensive and luxurious residential schemes in the country where a DSP could not afford to live.

He was lucky that his father was in close companionship with an MNA who coerced the police to file an FIR against the accused.

Further, he lived in a peaceful neighbourhood inhabited by members of the media, civil society, government officers (read bureaucrats) and all those who, perhaps for the first time, experienced and realised, while living in this city, what the sense of insecurity was, what pain really meant, and who had also the means of moving every relevant sector in the matter.

All this would surely make these people to pay attention to the activities of their offspring in future.

But, in contrast to this activism on the issue, we have so many examples of gruesome killings and brutalities where victims and their survivors belonging to the poor, middle class, common and hapless segments of society are languishing long for justice.

A very few of these examples include: massacre of 16 innocent people in the Shershah market, Karachi, on Oct 19, 2012; mass murder of six members of a family, including four brothers, in Rawalpindi on Aug 9, 2012; broad daylight murder of four brothers in North Karachi on Sept 24, 2012; gruesome and organised murder of a father and his two sons, along with their driver, in the Soldier Bazar area of Karachi on Sept 25, 2012, and killing of wife and daughter and wife of a Baloch politician in the DHA, Karachi, on Jan 29, 2012, etc. The list is unending.

Shahzeb’s murder is simply different because it involves the powerful and influential parties from both sides. It is just the outcome of a fight between the sons of the mighty and resourceful people. This is what a common man like me feels about it.

Anyhow, we should appreciate the role of civil society and pray and hope that justice prevails to set example.

RAIHAN A. K. LODHIKarachi

FIA involvement
THIS refers to the report ‘Siraj Talpur agrees to become state witness in Shahzeb murder case’ (Jan 6, Dawn.com).

The report said that Shahrukh Jatoi, the main accused of Shahzeb Khan’s murder, did not go through the FIA’s Personal Identification Secure Comparison and Evaluation System (PISCES) system and did not have to go through immigration.

It is a crime of the highest degree. How could he have done this without the involvement of FIA officials?

I request the Chief Justice to also direct police authorities to broaden the scope of investigation and all those who abetted the criminals, including FIA officials, at the airport be severely punished.

If this is not done and made an example, the practice of influential people pulling strings and those institutions which are supposed to protect the citizens doing the exact opposite will continue to happen.